Tara's Father's Day
by BlondeWiccan
Summary: Since today is Father's Day, I decided to start a story on what it would be like if Tara and Willow visited Mr. Maclay and Donny for the occasion. I thought I'd see how the first part panned out, and if people enjoy it, I'll continue. Feedback and comments always appreciated!
1. The Decision

Willow followed Tara around the house as she was getting ready, begging and pleading. "Come on baby, you can't go back to them!" Tara sighed, hearing that for only the tenth time in the hour. "Sweetie, I'll only be gone for a few hours. I'm not staying, just saying giving my regards to daddy." It was hard to call him anything else, not even by his name. She supposed some things were just hard to break.

Today was Father's Day, and she hadn't seen her blood relatives for a year. Her anger and fear had smoothed over enough though, so that going there might not cause her to have an anxiety attack. She calmly told Willow that she was going to take a bus to where the Maclay's lived, which was only the next town over.

She had mailed a letter a couple of weeks before, stating that she was going to come over and visit for Father's Day. As expected, she didn't get a reply back.

"It's a two hour bus ride. So, I'll be gone for only about six hours." She threw the remaining items into her purse before slinging it over her shoulder. She planned on spending only a couple of hours at the Maclay's, if they even wanted her there that long.

"That's six hours too long!" Willow whined, grabbing Tara's arm in an attempt to stop her. She wanted nothing more than to come with her, but Tara refused to.

"Why don't you want me going with you?" Willow asked with a pout.

"Because I don't want you getting hurt." That would be the same answer she gave her, and it was partly true. She was afraid for Willow and her family, in all honesty. As much as she disliked them, she was sure that Willow would light the house on fire or let scorpions start seeping through the walls—and that would be just the start of it.

After Willow had seen how…fun her family was, she would start going off on little spurts of what she might do to them; all of them consisting of making them squirm. "Nobody does that to my girlfriend and gets away with it." She would mumble, devising of new and improved ways to make them pay.

Tara would sit quietly through her schpeel, never commenting on it. She mulled over many times if she should go back. In the end, she decided it was best to at least go during a holiday.

Mr. Maclay enjoyed Father's Day, believing it to be designed for him specifically, saying how he had successfully kept the demons at bay. Of course, demons was just another word for women, which was probably all the same to him.

This year, however, Tara would go back, a plan in her mind. She would show her father and brother how much she had changed, how she had successfully 'tamed the demon' and became a better person because of it.

"Why don't I drive you, at least? Come on Tare, that's the least I can do. To see that you got there okay?" Willow was showing those gorgeous puppy-dog eyes that made Tara's heart melt, and her perseverance crumbled. Heaving a heavy sigh, she nodded. '_Next she'll start asking to walk me to the door, then help me walk into the house.' _

Willow beamed seeing the small nod from her girlfriend. "Yes!" She literally punched her fist into the air, then snagged the nearest bag she had and threw what she needed.

The more Tara thought about it, the less she thought she could make it through that time without Willow there. Suddenly, different thoughts swam in her mind that made that courage start to quickly dwindle. '_Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to let her come along…she'd have to be on her best behavior, though...'_

Willow could see Tara lost in her thoughts, and she suddenly knew the odds had changed in her favor.

With a little groan, Tara pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes for a few moments. "Fine." Willow was quite honestly glad that Tara was letting her come—not only could she show off how much her girlfriend had grown, but she could also keep an eye on her. The second Donny had entered the Magic Box, she wanted him gone. He felt off; cocky, hard-headed, all-knowing. The type of guy Willow would have loved to stay as far away from as possible. And to know that Tara was going to be in the same room as the guy, her heart swelled with pride to know that her blonde wiccan allowed her to be there.

"Now." Tara said sternly, so much so that the redhead stopped in her tracks and tilted her head curiously to her lover. "Be as nice as you possibly can, no sarcasm. Donny can smell sarcasm a mile away."

She smiled as she thought about her fiery-red haired lover standing beside her as Mr. Maclay opened the door. Oh, could she see the look on his face when she stood proud beside her reason for being.

"No sarcasm…got it. Sarcasm free." A devilish smile then crossed her lips, before it disappeared the instant Tara cleared her throat.

"Absolutely _no magic._ I don't care how mean they are…" Assuming that they would be, of course. "…They're still human beings." Willow scoffed at the comment, clearly thinking otherwise. "Willow. I mean it." Tara crossed her arms over her chest to emphasize her seriousness. Willow sighed and grumbled, "yes ma'am…" The blonde smiled, swiftly stealing a kiss from her redhead's lips before pulling back, a lopsided grin on her face. "Good girl."

A half hour later, the two girls had piled into Willow's car, on the way to see the people that had helped shape Tara who she was today. The closer they came, the more Tara started fidgeting in the passenger side, constantly biting her lip and messing with the hematite ring she wore. What if this was a terrible idea, to attempt to smooth over what had happened in the past? Not all people forgave as easily as she did, and she seemed to forget that quite a lot.

The redhead noticed her lover's uneasiness and frowned. 'She having second thoughts?' Her chest puffed out a little more, her over-protectiveness coming out. "Don't worry babe. You're safe." Willow placed a hand on top of Tara's hand, a grin propped on her face.

Looking up to see that grin that made her heart leap in happiness, her fears and worries disappeared for a moment. She took a deep breath and nodded, forcing a smile. "I know."

Sooner than she would have liked, the wiccan looked out the window to see that they had arrived at the neighborhood that brought back memories she'd rather forget. Steeling her emotions, she sat up just a little straighter as they pulled up to the two story house.

"Ready?" Willow asked as she took Tara's hand in hers and squeezed. Tara squeezed back, nodding. "Yeah."

Willow hopped out of the car, walking swiftly to the other side and opening the door before Tara had a chance to. "For you, m'lady." The witch grinned. The other woman giggled before stepping out. "Here goes nothing…" She took another deep breath before walking up the steps, forcing the memories down. _'Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, don't be afraid…' _She chanted the words each step she went up, gaining confidence when Willow took her hand, entwining their fingers together. Slowly, she raised her hand knocked.


	2. The Confrontation

**Here's part 2! It's a lot longer than I expected, but I hope it still fits well.  
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Tara knocked three times, and within moments the door opened. Who else but Donny would open it up? "_Sis!" _He used the name with exaggeration, having never remembered calling her that once in his life. An awkward moment stood before them, all words lost to the blonde.

Donny then wrapped his arms around her, hugging her a bit too tightly, which caused her to squeak. He laughed at her reaction before pulling her away without hesitation.

"You even brought a friend along! Name's Donny, nice to meet ya!" He clapped Willow on the shoulder hard enough for her frame to shake slightly. A forced smile popped up, Willow nodding once, pretending as if nothing was wrong.

"I'm Willow. A…" She was suddenly unsure how to describe herself to Tara's brother. Were they fine with same-sex relationships? Had Tara even told them about her relationship?

"F-friend. Very c-close friend. Best o-of friends." Without warning that damned stuttering had returned to her.

The blonde cursed herself in her head for that. Here she thought she'd gotten so much stronger over the months, even thought it took a month for the stuttering to completely subside around the Scoobies. Yet here it sprang up without her control or consent.

"Well why don't ya'll come in? Daddy's gonna be so happy to see you." Donny flashed his sister a smile, though that smile was laced with something Tara didn't completely trust.

Crossing the threshold into the home, a slight chill was in the air, and the Wiccan couldn't put identify the reason.

Standing in the living room was Mr. Maclay, his arms draped behind his back in a leisurely way, though no smile was apparent on his face.

Willow hung behind Tara, not because she was afraid, but because there was a certain air around everyone that made her feel unwelcome. Willow could remember the last time she saw Mr. Maclay was at the Magic Box, and it was a mixture of feelings on that occasion. Happiness for Tara to know that she really wasn't a demon, fear that Tara might succumb to being dragged back with her family, and anger; mostly for Donny.

There was something odd about him…and the scariest thing about it is that the redhead couldn't figure out what it was. It was nothing supernatural—as far as she could tell. No, it was scarier than that.

It was hate. Pure, human hate. Donny just hated Tara, and Willow couldn't understand why.

"I…I wanted…t-to say H-hap…py…Father's D-day, daddy." Tara fished out a card that she had bought the day before for her father. She held it out and he looked to it, raising an eyebrow. At first, it looked like he would smack it out of her hands, but he took it, being as 'courteous' as he could be around the newcomer.

He didn't open it, however. Instead, he threw it lamely onto the coffee table. "Who's your friend?" Mr. Maclay vaguely remembered the redhead from the last time he'd seen his daughter, and wondered why she was even here.

Willow piped up at that moment. "I just wanted to come along with Tara, to get to know her family better!"

Mr. Maclay didn't look amused. "Shouldn't you be with your own father?"

Willow nearly flinched at the question. It wasn't something she'd thought of—she just never really bothered to beforehand.

"Mm-hmm." Mr. Maclay murmured, as if the witch's reaction was what he was looking for.

Just then, young Beth Maclay peeked her head through the door from the kitchen, a faux smile approaching at her lips.

"Tara!" She said in a sing-song voice before walking hurriedly and hugging her tightly. "Oh…you're here too." A glare flashed towards the other girl before looking back to Tara. "Once we got your letter, your father thought it'd be a good idea for me to come by and say hi to my favorite cous."

Tara only nodded, smiling sheepishly as she did so.

Another awkward flurry of seconds passed before Donny spoke up.

"We were just about ready to have some lunch. Come 'n join us!" He didn't even look at Willow, and before either girl could respond, Mr. Maclay cleared his throat harshly.

"Actually, I don't think we have enough for them." His tone was cold, his gaze piercing on his daughter.

Tara felt the need to slink into a dark corner, but stood her ground.

She tried to understand why her father was acting this way. Of course it was nothing new, but maybe it was because she'd broken the 'curse' that the women had felt for generations.

Maybe it was because he knew she was independent, and he just wouldn't stand for that.

"Tara." Cousin Beth piped up, honestly curious to know the answer to the question that would arise.

"Why don't you tell us how you've been doing?" Donny and Beth knew that Mr. Maclay would want to know what his daughter had been up to, part of him curious to know what kind of havoc she might have wrought.

The question left her dumbfounded for a few moments, unsure of how to respond. Most of her time had been spent with Willow, but she quickly thought of other things.

"U-um…well…I've been…d-doing good in school." She nodded to Mr. Maclay, though his expression was unchanged.

"I-I've even made friends!" The blonde's eyes lit up, thinking of the members of the Scooby Gang, and suddenly had the urge to hold Willow's hand. Her hand twitched, but caught herself from doing so.

"Friends!" Donny said, mimicking Tara's voice.

The redhead had a sudden urge to punch Donny in the face, but let a glare suffice for now.

Another awkward silence.

"That's all?" Mr. Maclay asked. "No job, no boyfriend?"

Tara didn't answer for some time. Chewing on her bottom lip, she seriously started to consider what her family would think after telling them that the woman standing beside her was her girlfriend.

Being the heavily religious type, Tara knew that they might fly off the handle with it. But did she really want to keep hiding forever?

No, she didn't. She was tired of hiding, tired of stuttering, tired of ducking her head every time she spoke to her father.

Taking a deep breath, she took a hold of Willow's hand, entwining their fingers together.

"Daddy, this is my girlfriend." She planned on saying more, but it broke off on the immense swarm of emotions that ran through Mr. Maclay.

Donny nearly gaped, not able to say anything for a few minutes.

Beth's eyes nearly popped out from her sockets, her eyes darting back and forth between the blonde and redhead.

A rage was brewing within Mr. Maclay that literally caused Tara to step back. She knew that rage all too well.

"…It seems you've let that demon take over you. And now you have the gall to walk into my home with that?"

Again with the demon thing? The redhead nearly rolled her eyes, but caught herself at the last second. Willow was oblivious to the true conversation that was ensuing between daughter and father.

Before Tara left Sunnydale, she would have dipped her head in shame at the look her father gave her, but holding onto Willow's hand, she squeezed it slightly, and felt an instinctive squeeze back, which gave her a tremendous force of courage.

"There is no demon, and y-you know that. I came h-here to tell you that I still l-love you and Donny, even after w-what you did."

Her heart pounded with pain in her chest, terrified inside. She'd never stood up to Mr. Maclay before, and doing so nearly caused her to faint. She felt light-headed, afraid that at any moment she might pass out. She stood strong though, not a trace of fear in her face or eyes.

Donny and Beth looked at each other, unsure of really what to do. They knew that when Mr. Maclay got 'that look', the best option would really be to just book it out of there. He'd start to throw a fit, screaming and throwing things until he settled himself down.

Mr. Maclay's hands shook, having a good mind to wrap his calloused hands around his daughter's neck and wipe that determined look from her face.

Still not a word had been said after Tara spoke, and she started wondering if her father would calm down and accept her words.

In a fluid motion, however, she felt a searing pain across her cheek, the familiar pain of a backhand slap.

Willow's eyes widened, pulling Tara closer to her a second after that happened.

"What in the hell's your problem!?" The redhead cried out, anger rising in her voice. The magicks inside her quickly started to rise, prepared to torch Mr. Maclay.

Tara stepped back, closer to Willow, with more anger than surprise or fear. That was his reaction to her apology?! She didn't know why he would have accepted it.

Donny and Beth both stepped back, their expressions unchanged from before. After a few moments, a smile spread across Donny's face. "It's what you deserve. Spoutin' that kinda shit in our house."

Mr. Maclay glared at his son, indicating him to shut up.

"I don't ever want to see you here again. Do you understand me?" His words cut through Tara more than she would have liked.

Whatever his reason might have been, Tara didn't know or cared.

Her cheek pulsed in pain, a red mark already appearing.

She turned towards the door, with Willow right on her heel, keeping an arm around Tara in a possessive form.

Mr. Maclay never looked at Willow, but she could sense the hate and anger rolling off in waves.

Beth scurried to the door, opening it before Tara got to the door. She stopped just before she stepped out.

Her gaze traveled to the floor before she said something very softly. So much, she wasn't sure if her father would hear.

"I still love and forgive you."

The atmosphere changed again. One that was so dark and hateful Willow could choke on it, to one that was just…confusing.

The Maclay's didn't know how to respond to that. At all.

Tara stepped out, before turning to see their reactions.

Beth was on the verge of tears, while Donny just looked at her with a stupid expression.

Mr. Maclay's brow was furrowed, though gave no room for an inkling of anything other than anger.

Just before the door was closed, she could hear Beth whisper something that would stay with her forever.

"We still love you too."


	3. The Ride Home

**I hope everyone enjoyed this story! It was fun to write! Feeback is always appreciated! **

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For the first half an hour, Tara was completely silent, her hands nestled in her lap, her eyes locked to the car floor. Willow tried to think of multiple things to start a conversation, but decided to use none of them.

She couldn't even imagine what was going through her girlfriend's mind. Was it pain? Anger? A mix of the two? She wanted to know, but waited until Tara thought would be a good time.

Inside Tara's mind, it was completely blank but filled with thoughts at the same time. It took her some time to understand everything that had happened.

"_I don't ever want to see you here again. Do you understand me?" _

That is what was running through her head the most, pain striking every time it came. Her own father really never wanted her around again. Sure, she would have been happier to not see him, but he had disowned her back there.

Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes, threatening to fall. _'Don't cry. Don't cry.' _She kept telling herself. There was absolutely no reason to. None at all. Her father had just disowned her. That's all.

"Tare…?" Willow asked softly, using the nickname she lovingly gave Tara.

A voice snagged her out of her thoughts, and she looked up. "Huh?" She asked stupidly.

She tilted her head to Willow, slightly confused, and the redhead chuckled a little bit. "You're cute when you do that, you know?" Tara's cheeks lit up at the compliment, dipping her head in shyness.

"Are you okay?" Willow asked in a more serious tone.

Tara didn't say anything for a few moments, then took a deep breath. "I won't say I am…'cause I'm not. I should have expected something like that…I guess it's just one of those things you can never really prepare for."

Willow nodded, though really didn't know what she meant by it.

"Willow…?" Tara asked after a few more minutes of silence?

"Yeah?" Willow asked happily.

"Thank you…for…coming and all."

"Of course! Anything for my girl." The redhead beamed, glad that she was able to help her girlfriend out. The redhead was actually quite surprised how she handled herself. More than once during the confrontation, she thought she might do a spell or two, and even more surprised by Tara.

When she first met her, even hugging her caused the young blonde to flinch for the first few weeks. She really had grown, and that caused Willow's heart to swell with joy and pride.

"Are you sure your cheek's okay?" Tara nodded to the question. "It's nothing big, really." She rubbed her cheek, feeling the pain lessening. It would go away within a few hours.

Even though it wasn't a happy closing, it was a closing nonetheless. Not the one that the blonde wiccan was hoping for…but it was a closure. She knew her family was doing well, and that was what mattered to her.

What Beth had said the second before the door closed caused a bit of happiness to spur with her family, and she was sure it was true. Somewhere deep within her brother and father, they did love her…at least she liked to think so.

"That was a nice Father's Day, don't you think?" Tara asked with a small but genuine smile.


End file.
